Sloobludop
Entry from darklake As you swim up, away from the stonework of the flooding cavern, you surface at the edge of a massive body of water. You are surrounded by darkness in every direction, with only a nearby ledge to clamber upon. As you pull yourself from the water and begin the process of drying off as best you can, you take in the sights around, and realize that you have made your way back to the Darklake somehow. In front of you is a massive, endless expanse of mostly calm dark water, and a 10 foot ledge of dry land to the left and right, running along the wall. On your third day of travel, you finally make out what looks to be a massive tangle of reeds stretching up into the darkness, lit by glowing spots of phosphorescence. This is the first change in scenery you have seen since surfacing. After another day of travel towards the mass, you can make out a series of rickety towers, lashed together by rope and plank bridges set in haphazard patterns. Notable Kuo-toa Ploopploopeen (Ploop) - Archpriest of Blidoolpoolp the Sea Mother Bloppblippodd (Blopp) - Ploopploopeen's daughter, now calling herself the archpriest of Leemooggoogoon the Deep Father; demon tainted. Glooglugogg (Gloog) - Ploopploopeen's son, kuo-toa whip, and loyal worshiper of the Sea Mother. Klibdoloogut (Klib) - Kuo-toa whip and keeper of the altar of the deep father. The days catch As you near the settlement, the ledge begins expanding far inland, into darkness. you can see 9 kuo-toa shuffling along the ledge at the waters edge a hundred feet away, but are unable to make out exactly what they are doing. These Kuo-Toa attack (pg. 45) The Enemy of my Enemy After the previous encounter, the party encounters 10 more kuo-toa, one of whom is an archpriest PLOOPPLOOPEEN. He has what seems to be hundreds of shells lining a tanned leather robe, with various brightly colored stones and metals randomly affixed to his body via piercings bracelets and chains. *in undercommon* "I am Ploopploopeen, archpriest of the sea mother blibdoovpoolp. She answers my prayers by delivering you. help us, and you will be rewarded for your service." Ploopploopeen wants to escort the party to sloobludop He explains that its inhabitants have lived in harmounious service to the will of the Sea Mother. mentions occasional "visionaries" stirring up trouble with a sideways glance at Shuushar. but nothing of great concern. A few weeks ago, Bloppblippodd, his own daughter, expereinced a powerful vision of Leemooggoogoon the Deep Father proclaiming him the new god of her people. She has backed up claims with a great increase in her magical power and followers have flocked to her. "We are split in two, fighting amongst ourselves". He goes on to explain that the follower sof the deep father have been making an increasing number of offerings on his altar- kiling blood sacrifices then casting bloody chum into the waters, where it is consumed by... something. Explains that he wants to use the characters as bait... the deep father demands humanoid sacrifices and the party represents a prize collection. the characters would be offered as a "token of peace and reconcilliation", to get closer to the deep father archpriest but they will not be helpless prisoners so much as infiltraitors. The chracters are promised to be well rewarded for their aid. 1. Gate The settlement is enclosed to the north and south by outer walls of heavy netting with sharp bone hooks woven into them. in the middle of each wall is a gate through wich creatures can safely pass. Stationed outside each gate are 4 kuo-toa whips. pg. 46 2. Docks Moored at the docks are half a dozen kuo-toan keelboats, small wooden boats barely large enough for a small fishing expedition. Multiple groups of kuo-toa patrol the area, keeping a keen eye on the water and into the city, clearly protecting the docks. 3. Shrine of the Sea Mother Boxed text pg 46. the characters are escorted past this to a small hovel adjacent to the shrine, where they are met by 4 kuo-toa interior. These kuo-toa are subservient and will immidately begin taking pieces of shell armor off of Ploop. The hovel itself is a single story, single room building made of mud, kelp and shells. The hovel contains a simple wooden closet that looks to be of drow make, as well as a simple kelp hammock in the corner, a small table made from clay and what looks to be 3 chairs made from the remnants of some sort of wooden object strung together with rope. Here, the characters 4. Altar of the Deep Father Lightly bound, you are escorted out of the house towards the Altar to the deep father. As you approach the altar you realise you can see a bedraggled duergar prisoner, hands bound and bleeding from the forehead. THIS IS HEMETH, ARMS SMUGGLER, Pg. 48, top of column 2. The Ritual Read boxed text pg. 48 The archpriest described as follows: Her fishy visage is covered in the dark crimson viscera of sacrifices. Her flesh scarred by self immolation, her fins torn by some sort of ritual. Kuo-toa parade around the altar in a wide circle as they chant. Part of their circle bringing them splashing and wading through the shallows of the Darklake. You quickly cant tell one faction of fish folk from another, but you do see the archpriest of the seam other and his whip moving towards the altar, his jewlery clattering against eachother. Blopp calls for the sacrifices to be brought forward and 11 Kuo-Toa jump forward, spears prodding against you, forcing you towards a slight depression 20 feet from the altar with a large grate at its center. The depression in the ground is not actually made of mud as you initially thought, but is instead stonework, stained with the blood of innumerable sacrifices. You can hear the gentle lapping of the darklake below. As you are forced to kneel on the grate, Blopp, standing next to her father, gestures towards the altar. Her father strikes suddently with his scepter, bringing Blopp down to one knee. As he does so, numerous Kuo-toa loyal to him begin attacking other kuo-toa as well, immidately causing massive chaos and confusion around you. The guards around you seem stunned and unsure of what to do. ROLL FOR INITIATIVE - GUARDS SUPRISED, TOPSY, TURVY TURN INTO WERERAT HYBRIDS ROUND 2 - perception checks - above 25, whisper that they see a single kuo-toa attempting to attack something in the water before running back to shore. ROUND 3 - CHARACTERS NOTICE KUO-TOA CRYING OUT AND FLAILING IN THE SHALLOWS OF THE DARKLAKE. Several are pulled under or strike at unseen foes beneath the surface. The water begins foaming red with blood. This sets off a fenzy as a wave of panic flows through the kuo-toa, and the young archpriest priest yells out "LEEMOOGGOOGOON!" just as her father or player strikes a final, fatal blow, dropping her before the profane altar. Read boxed text pg 48. Each party membre must make a DC 13 Charisma saving throw or gain a level of madness. Kuo-toa begin crying out Leemooggoogoon over and over again. The demon wades towards Sloobludop, heads roaring and gibbering, tentacles flailing and smashing the water. In 3 rounds, he comes within reach of the shoreline and lashes out, smashing docks and sending bodies flying with each sweep of his tentacles.